About This Iced Sakura Matcha Latte Recipe
Celebrate sakura cherry blossom season with this iced sakura matcha latte! The drink is made with iced milk, a shot of vibrant and flavorful matcha tea, and a quick and easy cold foam flavored with cherry blossom powder. The cold foam is inspired by Starbucks and my copycat Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam recipe (one of the most popular on Hummingbird High).
Looking for more delicious iced matcha latte recipes? Check out my Iced Strawberry Matcha Latte Recipe on Hummingbird High!
What is sakura?
If you’re unfamiliar with sakura, here’s a quick primer: sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossom. And although it’s not common in the United States, it’s frequently used as a culinary flavor in Japan and other Asian countries (especially in desserts).
What does sakura taste like?
If you’ve ever had a pink-colored mochi, you’ve probably tasted sakura. Most pink mochi are cherry blossom flavored!
But in general, sakura has a very delicate, subtle, perfumey flavor. It’s similar to using lavender (like in these Lavender Earl Grey Cookies) or rose water (like in these Strawberry Rose Snickerdoodles) in baked goods.
Let’s Talk About Sakura Powder
To make this recipe, you need sakura powder. Sakura powder is made from pulverized freeze-dried sakura petals. It’s easy to find on Amazon. I recommend the one from Orgnisulmte (more affordable) or Yamasan Kyoto Uji (more expensive).
Don’t confuse sakura powder with sakura latte powder. Sakura latte powder has other ingredients like milk and sugar. While recipe testing, I discovered that the latte powder does not work as well in the cold foam recipe!
Need other recipe ideas for your sakura powder? Check out this Sakura Tiramisu recipe (based on my Easy and Classic Tiramisu Recipe) and these Sakura Matcha Cookies (based on these 3 Flavor Neapolitan Cookies Made With 1 Dough).
Making Sakura Cold Foam
The most important part of this sakura matcha latte is the sakura cold foam. The cold foam gives the matcha latte its signature pink color and cherry blossom flavor.
The cold foam comes together quickly and easily. Combine the cream, milk, sakura powder, and pink food coloring and whisk with a handheld electric mixer or a milk frother until thick and foamy. As it mixes, the cold foam will go through different phases with varying textures:
The Three Textures Of Sakura Cold Foam
A Note About Using An Electric Mixer
In my recipe for Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Foam, I instruct you to shake the ingredients in a jar to make the foam. While recipe testing, I found that the jar method didn’t work as well for the sakura cold foam. The sakura powder didn’t dissolve quickly and needed a lot of shaking to do so. Make your life easy by using an electric mixer or frother!
KitchenAid Go Cordless Hand Mixer
Best Recipe Tips
- Looking for matcha recommendations? Check out my post on How To Make The Perfect Matcha Shot For Matcha Lattes to see my favorites! I also offer lots of tips and tricks on how to make the perfect matcha for drinks like this iced sakura matcha latte recipe.
- In a pinch, you can skip the food coloring. However, I know from testing that the sakura cold foam won’t come out as vibrant. I used a pink food color from this Americolor Nifty Fifty food coloring kit. But in a pinch, you can use 1 drop of red food coloring from the food coloring packs readily available at grocery stores.
- I sweetened the matcha with my 5 Minute Simple Syrup Recipe (For Cakes, Cocktails, Drinks). If you don’t like sweet drinks, feel free to skip the sweetener! Just note that since matcha and sakura aren’t sweet on their own, the resulting drink won’t be very sweet.
Get the Recipe: Iced Sakura Matcha Latte (With Sakura Cold Foam)
Ingredients
For The Sakura Cold Foam
- 3 Tablespoons (1.5 ounces or 43 grams) cold heavy cream
- 2 Tablespoons (1 ounce or 28 grams) cold whole milk
- 1 Tablespoon sakura powder
- 1 drop pink or red food coloring
For The Iced Sakura Matcha Latte
- ¾ cup (6 ounces or 170 grams) cold whole milk
- 1 Tablespoon simple syrup
- 8 ounces (227 grams) ice cubes
- 1 recipe matcha shot for lattes
- 1 recipe sakura cold foam
Equipment
- handheld electric mixer with a whisk attachment OR a milk frother
- electric kettle with temperature control
- matcha bowl with a spout
- matcha whisk
Instructions
- First, make the sakura cold foam. In a small bowl, combine the cream, milk, sakura powder, and food coloring. Use a handheld electric whisk or milk frother to whisk until thick but soft and creamy, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Assemble the iced sakura matcha latte. Pour the milk and syrup into a 12-ounce glass and stir with a spoon or straw.Add the ice, then slowly pour the matcha over the milk, aiming for the ice cubes. Then, pour the sakura cold foam over the milk.
- Serve immediately. Serve with a straw to stir the cold foam into the matcha.
buy the book
Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule
Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.
